nwFilmCenter

Denmark

Sat, Feb 16, 2008 at 4:15 PM Mon, Feb 18, 2008 at 2:30 PM	AFGHAN MUSCLES DIRECTOR: ANDREAS MOL DALSGAARD DENMARK Dalsgaard's relentlessly entertaining film offers a refreshing look at real life in a real place. Examining the most popular sport in Afghanistan—male bodybuilding—-Dalsgaard tracks the athletes as they train for the Mr. Asia championships, capturing a multitude of surreal moments. Competitors strut their stuff in spray-on tans and Speedos while robed, bearded men squeal like teens stricken with Beatlemania. A sponsorship takes the form of a dozen eggs a day, protein powder is smuggled like drugs and "Arnold" is referred to often, on an exclusively first-name basis. Beyond the appealing characters and story line, Afghan Muscles offers something we don't often see on the nightly news: Afghan perspective. In English/Farsi. Print courtesy the filmmaker. ( 58 min ) First Feature Film. For more information or to vote online visit Oregon Live. ^ Top
Sat, Feb 16, 2008 at 4:15 PM Mon, Feb 18, 2008 at 2:30 PM	AMERICAN/SANDINISTA DIRECTOR: JASON BLALOCK UNITED STATES In the 1980s, a bloody civil war between the socialist-influenced Sandinistas and the U.S.-backed Contras ravaged Nicaragua. Thousands of idealistic Americans descended upon the Central American nation, determined to lend their skills and labor to the revolutionary Sandinista movement. Blalock tells the story of a small group of controversial U.S. engineers—including Portlander Ben Linder—who went further than anyone expected, and paid the ultimate price. ( 25 min ) For more information or to vote online visit Oregon Live. ^ Top
Tue, Feb 19, 2008 at 9 PM Wed, Feb 20, 2008 at 7 PM	THE MONASTERY: MR. VIG AND THE NUN DIRECTOR: PERNILLE ROSE GRøNJAER DENMARK Wills are tested and lives changed forever in this heartwarming and often hilarious story of very different people thrown together by chance. Fifty years ago, 82-year-old Vig bought a castle in the Danish countryside intending to turn it into a monastery. Many years later, his dream appears to come true when some Russian Orthodox nuns take up residence there. But these nuns have plans of their own, making the path to Vig's fulfillment a trying one. Winner of numerous festival awards, including the Joris Ivens Award at the International Documentary Festival in Amsterdam, The Monastery is "A deeply satisfying work of uncommon intimacy and graceÃ‰it leaves us pondering which is the better measure of our time on earth—how we live or what we leave behind."—San Francisco International Film Festival. Print courtesy of Koch Lorber Films. ( 84 min ) First Feature Film. Sponsored by the Scandinavian Heritage Foundation. For more information or to vote online visit Oregon Live. ^ Top